Post by pr1 on Aug 2, 2018 14:11:36 GMT

The main image of Dracula is lame and he seems more enraged than menacing . It makes it look like the movie should be titled "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave and He's Really Pi**ed Off" The rest of the poster isn't too bad.

Post by maninasuitcase on Aug 14, 2018 6:58:53 GMT

Love Thy Neighbour (1973)

Today, this remains the most controversial film Hammer ever made. As I said over in the 'Love Thy Neighbour' thread this will never ever be shown again on British TV. Even the stars Jack Smethurst and Rudolph Walker are always edited out of Hammer's big screen adaptation of 'Man About the House' when it is aired on UK TV nowadays.

These cheapo comedy 1970's movie spin offs were good money earners for Hammer and so we had a rash of them at this time. Three 'On the Buses' films, 'Man About the House', Nearest and Dearest' and 'Thats My Funeral' were all made.

The series ran for an incredible 8 series from 1972-76. Yet, this Hammer film was made in early 1973 between the gap after Series 2 was made and S3 was about to go into production. It shows after, just 2 series, how popular the TV series was.

The film looks great on the Network BD but only in the 1.66:1 version. The "Full Frame" version looks terrible as it is unrestored.

As per the 'Rising Damp' movie some scenes are directly lifted from the TV series but the majority of the plot is new. It concerns an industrial dispute and strike at Bill and Eddie's factory. Barbie and Joan are trying to win a competition for good neighbours with the prize being a luxury cruise for four people.

The increased budget allowed for some guest stars but apart from some lovely shots of the Thames the film is mostly made at Elstree studios to save money.

The racist humour is tiresome and the likes of Jacko (Keith Marsh) is given little to do. A shame because he is the best character in the series. Nina Baden-Semper looks great in her hot pants and knee boots combo. She also sports a different style syrup. The real acting talent were Jack Smethurst and Kate Williams, they spark off each other brilliantly.

A very dated comedy that is very much a product of its day. There are some amusing moments but they are few and far between.

Post by maninasuitcase on Aug 22, 2018 9:52:33 GMT

The Camp on Blood Island (1957)

The US cinema poster.

After 'Love Thy Neighbour' this is a serious contender for the most controversial Hammer Film ever made. It has only been show on UK terrestrial TV three times. That was in 1972, 1975 and 1979. So not for 39 years has this warranted a showing in the UK on one of the main TV networks.

This was made precisely 12 years after VJ Day and it is quite clear that Hammer were out to make a violent and very downbeat exploitation film about the appalling treatment handed out to Allied soldiers in the Japanese run POW Camps. In reality, the conditions our POWs were forced to live in under the Japanese captors were undoubtedly disgraceful and a lot of our soldiers died terrible deaths. That is factual history, so please no comments or discussion about how bad the Japanese were. We are talking about a movie here which does touch on some very emotive issues. With a lot of still very raw nerves around Hammer thought it was time to make a very controversial movie about the undoubted cruelty inflicted on our troops.

The film is set on the fictitious "Blood Island" in Malaya in post August 15th 1945. The screenplay is based on a "true story" by Joe Manchip White but it is fairly obviously a mishmash of events that almost certainly did happen during WW2. There is no way that this is a "true story". The beginning of the film has an on screen credit that says: "This is not just a story - it is based on a brutal truth".

This movie was filmed in July and August 1957 which was luckily a hot British summer. Why would that matter I hear you ask? Because the POW Camp, with false palm trees, was actually in that tropical English enclave known locally as Buckinghamshire. TBH, it looks very realistic even when they use nearby Black Park as a tropical sea channel. It looks as though they spent a few bob on the set and I found it to be very convincing indeed.

The plot: there are two POW camps on Blood Island, one for the men, one for the women. War is over, the POWs know it because they have heard it via a radio receiver they have stashed away. The Japanese don't know because their radio needs parts before it will work. The Japanese commandant (Ronald Radd) has said all the POWs will be killed if Japan loses the war. Spare parts for the broken radio are on their way so can the POWs stop the Japanese from killing them?

The cast are mostly all "White British" actors even those who are supposed to be playing Japanese soldiers. Most of the truly Asiatic cast are all non speaking extras hired from Chinese takeaways from the Borehamwood area. They couldn't even get the legendary Burt Kwouk to appear. We get the likes of Ronald Radd, Marne Maitland, Michael Ripper!! , Lee Montague and Wolfe Morris playing very unconvincing Japanese soldiers. Strangely Lee Montague would again unconvincingly play a Japanese man in the 1965 filmed 'Samurai West' episode of the ITC series 'The Baron'. We have to have a token Yank, played by Phil Brown, who just happens to parachute onto the island after his plane is shot down. This was obviously to help sell the film to the US distributors.

What gives the film that added realism is how desperately thin some of the cast actors like Richard Wordsworth are.

The Allied cast are led by the superb Andre Morell as the senior British officer. He is simply fantastic. He is aided by Edward Underdown, the Austrian actor Carl Mohner playing a Dutch officer, Michael Goodliffe, Barbara Shelley, Edwin Richfield and Barry Lowe. They are all very good in their roles.

This is a very hard hitting film and with a lot of the extras looking extremely emaciated it looks and feels very realistic. The real downside is the Japanese. They don't look remotely Japanese and they are cardboard cut out villains with seemingly no motives other than to be as nasty as possible. There are no motives given at all as to the reasoning behind their behaviour. The director Val Guest seemed to want to have wanton, seemingly motiveless war crimes carried out on "our boys" purely to shock the audience. A shame because this really could have been a Hammer classic.

On release in the UK it did will at the box office although the majority of critics hated it. In the USA there was an unsuccessful attempt to have the film banned.

'Callan' connection. We get two future Hunters appearing in the film. We have Hunter No. 1 Ronald Radd and Hunter No. 2 Michael Goodliffe.

The BD pq is generally excellent. The b/w photography looks lovely.

Extras:

Making of (29 mins)

A look at the career of Mary Merrall (11 mins). She is hardly in the film so this is a strange choice.

Profile of director Val Guest (18 mins)

Interview with script supervisor Renee Glynne (4 mins)

Trailer

Image Gallery.

7/10

The UK Cinema poster.

In 1964, Hammer made a prequel 'The Secret of Blood Island' with Barbara Shelley. She plays a completely different character in this film! Michael Ripper crops up again as a different Japanese officer. Lee Montague returns but this time as a Jewish POW! Edwin Richfield also crops up again but I don't know if his is the same role. I somewhat doubt it! This film has never had a home video release and is only available via grotty looking pirated recordings.

Post by pr1 on Aug 22, 2018 14:55:42 GMT

Thanks for reminding me. I have just added a piece about the USA that I forgot to put in my review.

"On release in the UK it did will at the box office although the majority of critics hated it. In the USA there was an unsuccessful attempt to have the film banned."

By the time Hammer was making these films I have no doubt a lot of Americans would have forgotten the British and other nationalities were involved in the war in the Pacific/Asia. There is a slight perception that Americans did most or all of the fighting after Pearl Harbor. That wouldn't have helped their box office performance. The blockbuster success of "Bridge On the River Kwai" would have helped remind them but the ad campaign for the Hammer film looks like a cheap explotation film in comparison.

Post by gustav on Aug 22, 2018 20:33:56 GMT

Never come across 'The Camp on Blood Island'. Didn't ever see it broadcast. Interesting enough in its own way, and not a surprising production given the experiences of the war. A rare one not to include Burt Kwouk. I can't really imagine Lee Montague and the rest making convincing Japanese soldiers.

Post by maninasuitcase on Aug 25, 2018 13:32:27 GMT

Yesterday's Enemy (1959)

In World War II, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, the lost remnant of a British Army Brigade HQ, led by the ruthless captain Alan Langford, escapes through the jungle toward the British lines. (from IMDB)

Not just Hammer's best war movie but a serious contender for the best British War Film ever. One of the critics on the recently released BD described this true classic movie as the UK's finest anti-war movie and I can't disagree one iota. This film is mind blowing in being so well made and acted.

This was filmed entirely in film studios (Bray for the swamp and Shepperton for the rest) in January and February 1959 but don't let that put you off because the studio sets are incredibly convincing of what it must have been like in a steaming hot Burmese jungle sometime between 1941-45 where Japanese soldiers are seemingly everywhere waiting to ambush the small British and Commonwealth force. The Bray Studio jungle swamp set was used immediately after for the Hammer version of 'The Mummy' which was shot from late February to mid April 1959.

After the critical mauling justifiably handed out by film critics for the cartoon villain portrayal by white actors of the Japanese soldiers in 'The Camp on Blood Island', Hammer thought it needed to gets its act together and make a far more realistic film. They chose Val Guest to direct again.

There is no film score whatsoever and this really helps a lot........

In November 1958 'Yesterday's Enemy' was shown as a TV drama by the BBC. It was written by Peter R Newman. He later went on to write 'The Sensorites' serial for the Billy Hartnell era 'Dr Who' It got very positive reviews and within 2 months Hammer were shooting the movie version based on the TV drama but with only Gordon Jackson reprising his TV role.

The cast is simply amazing. Best of all is Stanley Baker in a career best role as Captain Langford who will stop at nothing to save his troops and thwart the Japanese enemy at all costs. It is not only the Japanese who commit war crimes in this extremely grim and hard hitting movie it is the British as well. Hammer were determined to make this a balanced view of what being at war can do to both sides. Baker is as hard as nails and his acting is simply breathtaking in his immensely powerful performance. He should have got an Oscar. He was nominated for a BAFTA but didn't even win that. A total disgrace. I have believed Baker to be our finest ever actor for a long time now and he is on unbelievable form here. He is in charge and to him this is "total war".

Gordon Jackson is well cast as Captain Langford's loyal sergeant who will carry out all orders given to him without question. The great Leo McKern plays Max, a journalist embedded with the unit and very capable Guy Rolfe is the padre. They see what Langford is doing in these very desperate hours is morally wrong but are powerless to do anything but voice their opinions anway. A few months after this film Guy Rolfe would go onto to star in Hammer's 'The Stranglers of Bombay'. My next Hammer Film I intend to review.

Among the rest of the cast we get Barry Lowe (also in 'The Camp on Blood Island'), Percy Herbert, David Lodge and Bryan Forbes.

After 'The Camp on Blood Island' movie's farcical casting of white actors as Japanese, we have all orientals in this film. The wonderful Burt Kwouk plays one. The Japanese commander is superbly played by the Korean actor Phillip Ahn. In the 1970s Ahn would go onto play Master Kan in the popular TV Series 'Kung Fu' with David Carradine.

The tension in this classic is ratcheted up to the max by the end of the film. It is a relentlessly grim but utterly realistic portrayal of a fictitious episode in war torn Burma. One of the worst places on Earth to fight a battle because of the hostile heat and the impenetrable jungle. The sweat on all the actor's bodies and uniforms is palpable. There is a reasonable amount of action on display.

I won't tell you the last scene of the film but I had a tear in my eye when I saw it. It brought home to me how hard it must have been for both sides in a desperate battle for supremacy and survival.

I can't recommend this film highly enough. Seriously, if you haven't seen it then your life isn't complete.

Not only this is Hammer's best ever War Film it is up there with all their other true classics of all the genres they dabbled in.

When it was released in July 1959, the critics generally loved it but Joe Public wasn't too keen on seeing a senior British Army officer as a war criminal and the film was a relative financial failure.

The pq on the BD is fantastic.

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"

Extras

A censored US print of the film. I think they objected to the 2 uses of the word "b@srtard" so those were changed for their version.

Post by pr1 on Aug 25, 2018 18:56:04 GMT

Yesterday's Enemy looks like a surprisingly realistic and grim film for the time it was made. Philip Ahn was one of Hollywood's all purpose Asian actors for decades. He must have played every nationality in Asia at least once in his long career.

Post by maninasuitcase on Aug 27, 2018 16:24:47 GMT

The Stranglers of Bombay (1959)

Obviously set in India, the closest the film-makers got to it was by putting up a map of the country for some of the studio shots of the East India Company office back wall and the crew, after a hard day's filming, having a tandoori at the local Indian restaurant nearest to Bray Studio.

The film was shot in July and August 1959 and the weather in the outdoor scenes looks very pleasant so I would guess the UK summer of 1959 was a good one weather wise. EDIT: in the film's booklet it says the summer of 1959 was a scorcher. The studio backlot was used extensively for the East India Company's base and its immediate surroundings. The Callow Hill Sandpit at Virginia Water and the Sand/Gravel Quarry at Wapsey's Wood represented the wild and desolate Indian countryside. Hammer's best director Terrence Fisher was helming this one so he cleverly uses several different camera angles to make it looks as though the outside locations are huge. The Virginia Water location was also used in the recently reviewed 'The Camp on Blood Island' plus more Hammer films of that era. In fact. both locations were used again by Hammer when desert or exotic scenery was required. I expect my old pal Felix can probably tell us a bit more about the locales as they are today.

The film was written by screenwriter David Z Goodman instead of the usual Hammer stalwart Jimmy Sangster. Goodman went onto work on 'Straw Dogs' (1972) and 'Logan's Run' among many others.

The plot: A murderous religious cult (Thugee is way-laying travellers and stealing goods in nineteenth century India. As the disappearances mount and trade becomes difficult, the British East India Company is forced to act. But they give the job to an upper-class officer (played by Allan Cuthbertson) completely out-of-touch with the country rather than the obvious candidate who has been in India for years and well understands the people and culture. (nicked from IMDB)

Allegedly Peter Cushing was going to play the lead hero role of Captain Harry Lewis but the role went to Guy Rolfe (the actor who brilliantly played the padre in the not long completed Hammer classic 'Yesterday's Enemy'). Andrew (Dr Finlay's Casebook) Cruickshank was cast as the Colonel in charge of the East India Company who mistakenly gives the son of his old school pal the job. This officer, (very well played by Allan Cuthbertson) is a stuck up know-it-all toff who isn't fit to wipe the floor let alone try to root out a dangerous cult of thugees who just want to serve their goddess Kali and cause disruption and commit murder in her honour. Guy Rolfe ticks all the boxes as the square jawed all British hero who is determined to stop the cult despite his commanding officer ignoring him just so he can install an inept officer who is there purely because of the old school tie.

Sadly, we still get the likes of Warren Mitchell, Roger Delgado and George Pastell playing Indians. At least the ubiquitous Marne Maitland was born in India and was partly of Indian heritage.

Terence Fisher does a brilliant job (as per usual) of making this an exciting action/adventure romp with a touch of horror chucked in the mix. It is incredible that this movie was given an A certificate in 1959 when it now is given a deserved 15. How this violent film got an A certificate forms the part of a fairly long Extra on the BD. We will never know why the BBFC made such an error in not giving this film an X in 1959 because all the paperwork has been destroyed since 1959. There is a lot of violence for an A, way too much in fact for children to have seen with the A certificate. I won't detail any of it because it might include spoilers for those who haven't seen the film. The mongoose v cobra scene was allowed because British censors would only allow animals fighting and being killed if it was archive film (as this was).

The various film cuts are a story on their own. The US version had a lot of the violence cut. The UK print had scenes of a woman possibly seen to be aroused at the killings and torture cut. So, Powerhouse Films (makers of this BD) have put together an "integral version" which puts all existing cut material back. Sadly, there are a couple of cut scenes that have been lost forever. On the BD, you have the choice to view the UK Cut Version, the US Cut Version or the Integral Version. I watched the Integral Version.

I think this is a really exciting action adventure film which is well directed by Hammer's No. 1 director Terence Fisher.

A special mention is also deserved by the Hammer stalwart James Bernard who contributes a really rousing musical score. He was on a great run at the time with quality musical scores for Hammer's 'Dracula' and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.

The pq on this bw Hammer movie is really good indeed.

Extras

Audio Commentary with screenwriter David Z Goodman

Making of doc (17 mins)

A look at the Different Versions (UK and US) (7 mins)

James Bernard's Score doc (17 mins)

Jan Holden - Hammer actress (6 mins)

The Censor's Decision - a look at the possible reasons why the BBFC made a serious mistake in giving this film an A certificate in 1959 instead of the X it should have been given (27 mins)

Post by maninasuitcase on Aug 29, 2018 19:11:27 GMT

The Terror of the Tongs (1960)

Made in April/May 1960 and using a set originally designed for the upcoming movie (shooting in June 1960) 'Visa to Canton' AKA 'Passport to China' (US Title). Hammer had spent a lot of cash setting up a Chinese harbour set complete with a steamship on the Bray backlot so why not use it for two films?

The film is notable for being Christopher Lee's first starring role for Hammer Films despite not having that much screen time. He basically plays a Fu Manchu type character who is in charge of the Hong Kong branch of the deadly Red Tong who are up to most of area's crimes. Lee is very good as the chief baddie.The film is set in 1910 when Hong Kong was obviously still under British rule. This might explain why most of the Asiatic cast are played by white British actors made up to look Chinese.

The romantic lead is played by the rather dull Geoffrey Toone but he is positively Oscar winning standard compared with the leading lady; the French actress Yvonne Monlaur. She really is poor. Luckily we do get Burt Kwouk as a genuine Chinaman. Fresh from the much superior 'The Stranglers of Bombay' we get Roger Delgado and Marne Maitland (also in The Camp on Blood Island) both playing Chinese men. Also going all Oriental were Charles Lloyd Pack and northerner Harold Goodwin! It is hard to distinguish who looks the most unconvincing out of those two!

Marne Maitland and Burt Kwouk would return for the following month's 'Visa to Canton' with Richard Basehart.

This is a virtual remake of 1959's much more satisfying 'The Stranglers of Bombay'. I think screenwriter Jimmy Sangster was on autopilot when he wrote this rather tepid pot boiler. The film was rather unimaginatively directed by Anthony Bushell. He was an actor turned director and I wish he had stuck to acting.

This was rated an 'X' certificate rather than the 'A' given to 'Stranglers of Bombay'. It deserves its X as there is quite a lot of killing and some red blood on display. It is commonly assumed that this was rated 'X' because it was made in colour and 'Stranglers' only got an 'A' because it was shot in b/w. Crazy decision by the BBFC.

This isn't a bad movie but it certainly isn't a good one. It is reasonable cheaply budgeted quickie B movie made purely to use an expensive set planned for another production. Incidentally, 'Visa to Canton' has never had a home video release.

This film is totally studio bound with a fair amount of use of that expensive backlot set.

The film's score is by Hammer stalwart James Bernard. Not one of his best but it is reasonable.

Post by fordcapri on Aug 29, 2018 20:13:51 GMT

I wonder what Hammer expert Marcus Hearn makes of all these white British actors made up to look Indian or Chinese? Especially since he is now the editor of the achingly PC Doctor Who Magazine! I wonder if Christel Dee is going to pop up in one of the documentaries and declare the whole thing to be 'Ray-cist!'...

"What are you two, some kind of music hall act?""Whatever we are...""...you made us!""TA-DAA!!"